I've heard that Randy Couture has come out of retirement to fight Tim Sylva for the UFC title? Can someone confirm or deny?

Interesting match up!!!

As always, RC has looked fit and strong during his recent commentating. He competed in Rico Chiapparelli's PSL (Porfessional Submission League). In short, he may still be sharp. The question is one of strategy-- how does he solve Tim's size and structure?

I confess to routing for RC-- which is always bad for level-headed assessment. That said, off the top of my head what occurs to me is that he uses a similar game to his first fight against Vitor Belfort: High hands putting elbows in VB's striking trajectory, thus nullifying VB's blazing hand speed (at least at that point in his career) Could this be a solution to Tim's reach, thus enabling a high line close to RC's strong suit in Greco-Roman structures instaed of getting sprawled as did , , , what was that thick guy's name that Tim just beat?

I've heard that Randy Couture has come out of retirement to fight Tim Sylva for the UFC title? Can someone confirm or deny?

---I heard the same.

Interesting match up!!!

---I have mixed feelings about it. Lets say RC wins. Is he prepared to stick around and defend his title?

I confess to routing for RC-- which is always bad for level-headed assessment. That said, off the top of my head what occurs to me is that he uses a similar game to his first fight against Vitor Belfort: High hands putting elbows in VB's striking trajectory, thus nullifying VB's blazing hand speed (at least at that point in his career) Could this be a solution to Tim's reach, thus enabling a high line close to RC's strong suit in Greco-Roman structures instaed of getting sprawled as did

---Could work. Could also take some damaging shots trying to get to the inside.

Mine: If they are going to be doing this once a month and charging $50 a show, that's $600 a year and that's more than I want to spend on this, especially shows like last nights show, which for me was a disappointment.

Concerning Silva's downward elbows to the head, I found this description of the rules on another site:

==========Fouls:

1. Butting with the head. 2. Eye gouging of any kind. 3. Biting. 4. Hair pulling. 5. Fish hooking. 6. Groin attacks of any kind. 7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. 8. Small joint manipulation. 9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head. 10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow. 11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea. 12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh. 13. Grabbing the clavicle. 14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent. 15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent. 16. Stomping a grounded opponent. 17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel. 18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. 19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area. 20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. 21. Spitting at an opponent. 22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent. 23. Holding the ropes or the fence. 24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area. 25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break. 26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee. 27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat. 28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee. 29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury. 30. Interference by the corner. 31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

===============

Rule 10 certainly sounds to me like Silva's strikes were illegal.

Also I note Rule 17, which certainly hurts guard game for no good reason I can discern.

Rule 13 reminds me of a story about Dog Bro legend, Chris "the Tree that Walks" Poznik

I am really looking forward to posting all my thoughts on last night but I don't have much time right now so I'll just start with Silvia. His strikes were not illegal. Downward elbows (also known as "spike elbows") come from the top down onto the top of the head. Anderson Silva's elbows were what I consider back elbows. From the view of over top it looks like he is striking to the top of the head but they were all to the forehead of TL (if my memory serves me) scraping across. I thought they were illegal at first as well but watching the replays I saw why the ref did not jump in. One of the reasons they made the rule against the downward elbow is because of how easy it is to cut the top of the head and end a fight; not very fun to watch. In addition, for it to be a downward elbow (reason for the name "spike elbow) is you need to either be hitting the top of the head or have all your weight behind the strike such as in a raining dog

Zuffa definately has turned his pet project(ufc) into a multimillion dollar scheme. Fortunately i didn't have to pay for this one, the last one, or the next one.

Fights- I was dissapointed in the last 5 fights. Mostly cause i wanted to see Silva and Crocop do what they do best... mt and ktfo their opponents with mt.The footwork was the norm, i remember nothing extraordinary. Rampage appeared slightly off his game initially, but took control in the latter part. If i remember correctly the hockey punch did his opponent in. Great streetfight move, lots of options- plum, greco, snap, etc... On replay the Huerta-Halverson fight looked like the Hurricane caught a knee/shin across the neck...carotid ko. Crocop - he looked like a monster as always, devastating power, i was hoping for a lhk stand up ko. Silva- his opponent was open for that flying knee, timing was slightly off so he got put off balance. Excellent ground defense, and ability to regain his feet. On the triangle, anyone know why he didn't try for various subs-choke,arm,shoulder? or finish that choke by swiveling his hips? I am clueless about bjj.

On the triangle, anyone know why he didn't try for various subs-choke,arm,shoulder? or finish that choke by swiveling his hips?

Travis had great triangle defense ; AS was really trying for locks such as the kimura. As for him squeezing; I believe he was as much as he could and again TL's defense was blocking the hip so he could not rotate more into the triangle. Also, let's not forget that less than two months ago AS had both ACL's replaced. This also explains his lack of mobility in this fight and his timing being a bit off. I think the lack in mobility was the reason for him getting taken down as much as he did.

I just got to watch it last night when it was rebroadcast on AFN. I was a little disappointed as well. Wasn't GSP supposed to defend his title against Matt Sera? What happened to that? The commentators never mentioned it and its not on the card for the March event. I thought Silva's elbows were legal as well because they were "back" elbows that were horizontal to the floor and not the crushing downward elbows that Tony Jaa likes to use in his movies. It seemed to me that Lutter was more than a bit off of his game after trying and failing to make weight. Sanchez had no business being in the ring with Crop Cop. That was a straight-up "highlight reel" fight...a gimmee for Crop Cop. Did anyone else think it was ironic when Crop Cop entered the arena to the Pride theme song? I thought the best fight of the event was the lightweights. Hopefully organizations like Pride and UFC will start giving the smaller guys more air time.

i think GSP got injured during training. i think he and serra are fighting in march? anyone?as far as lightweights i think BJ is moving down to 155 and he is slated to fight pulver at the end of TUF 5...

Renzo is sly, but frank has crisp striking and superior conditioning. i don't think renzo can take him down. it could look like frank vs. jeremy horn or frank vs. elvis sinosic, but i really think frank can outstrike renzo on the feet or the ground.

The arrival of heavyweight Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic to the Ultimate Fighting Championship last Saturday could possibly be looked at in future years as the turning point for mixed martial arts in America.

At first, it appeared Zuffa LLC. was making no attempts to hide the fact they had swayed the Croatian striker away from what has been regarded, in recent years, as the number one MMA promotion in the world– PRIDE Fighting Championships. Curiously, the 2006 Open-Weight Champion entered the Mandalay Bay Events Center to the familiar sound of the beating drums of the juggernaut Japanese promotion. (UFC president Dana White would later proclaim Cro Cop picked the music himself.)

Patches of the nearly 11,000 in attendance rose in salute, the bodies swathed in their hero’s signature red-and-white checkers, Croatian flags waving with pride.

The former K-1 kickboxer turned PRIDE Open-Weight Champion and now instant UFC heavyweight contender did what was expected of him, UFC president White said afterwards, dismantling undefeated challenger Eddie Sanchez (8-1) with an array of punches and kicks, before taking mount and getting the stoppage with only 30 seconds left on the first round clock.

At the post-fight press conference, White addressed Filipovic’s absence from the podium as “fucking frustrating,” saying he and his 2-year, six-fight acquisition had already “butted heads” on the subject.

Not so ironically, it iwill be Cro Cop’s reclusive ways that will attract more of the curious fan’s attention to him. The UFC has always wanted a stone-faced assassin and the mystique he wields will make him that much more tempting to avoid.

In a country where most fighters thrive on getting interviewed, the rarity of Cro Cop’s voice into a microphone will garner him the most notice of all.

One person who did get to interact with Filipovic and his entourage was referee John McCarthy.

McCarthy says Filipovic’s manager Ken Imai approached him at the event’s weigh-ins, and tucked behind a curtain, away from the eye of some 1,000 spectators on the other side of it, Cro Cop took his first steps into the Octagon.

“He was a very humble and straightforward guy,” says McCarthy, who went over Nevada’s rules variations with the man only familiar with the roped square and a seemingly more brutal arsenal of finishes.

“His big thing was if a fighter went down, he wanted to know where he could he kick and stomp,” explains McCarthy. The 13-year veteran official instructed Filipovic that stomps were illegal, but axe kicks (which are thrown on an angle and not directly downward to the body) were not.

“He asked, ‘If he did an elbow that was illegal what would happen?’” says McCarthy. “He was very pleasant the whole time. I just think he likes to keeps close to himself and those close to him.”

Filipovic’s knowledge of McCarthy hints the foreign fighter had years of UFC viewing under his belt. “He told me, ‘I remember watching you in 1995 when I was an amateur boxer. You were in the cage with two crazy men. I guess now I’m a crazy man’” McCarthy recalls.

And what did McCarthy glean from the dangerous kickboxer’s performance Saturday night?

“The Octagon is a bigger surface area,” says McCarthy. “I think Mirko was using the same footwork he’s always used and that caused some problems for him when he tried to cut Sanchez off.”

The motivation to improve appears to be there. Before leaving for his 18-hour journey back to his homeland, Filipovic asked McCarthy for a recommendation to import a cage to him there.

Filipovic has been announced to fight again at April 21’s UFC event in Manchester, England. An opponent has not been named.

POSTED -- 02/08/07

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

So did anyone watch the fight? I read about the outcome but wanted to hear others opinions.

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

I watched them last night and I'm gonna review them again later on today (DVR ).

Crazy Horse, behind all his show boating is one heck of a fighter. Noon's stand up however was solid and his leg kicks were so fast.

I honestly think that Gina C. could hang with many male fighters in her weight class, she is a true fighter and in many cases her form and technique is cleaner than a lot of pro fighters in MMA. While this fight still had a little bit of a "cat fight" feel I think both Julie and Gina portrayed women's fighting very well and I am looking forward to seeing them again.

David L. was totally out of his game and got babied IMHO. I am not sure what happened but many people are saying that he hasn't been right since RF beat him and in my opinion that was a battle in itself. He should not feel bad for losing to RF.

Regarding Shamrock and Gracie I think this was some quick thinking on Renzo's behalf and was more show than anything. The strikes IMO were more to the shoulder / carotid and not to the back of the head. Regardless I think he was doing a good job in the fight until this happened, I would however have to say it was pretty even until this happened.

I was very curious to see this fight. It turned out to be interesting/weird on several levels. With only one viewing, here is what I saw:

FS dominated striking range, but RG was able to close precisely and takedown confidently with good technical BJJ technique three times. Perhaps I reveal my ignorance, but RG's side control seemed very high to me, which seemed to faciliate FS's knees from bottom. Were FS's many knees from bottom effective? Couldn't tell, but RG seemed able to ignore them and use the space for working for mount-- perhaps the reason for what seemed to me to be a high side control?

I did not sense that FS felt concerned that RG had side control. His punches to the back of the head, until they were stopped as a violation of the rules, seemed to annoy RG. The arm position also seemed a violation of BJJ basic rules 101. It looked like RG had FS's arm in a position to think about a far arm bar or a V-lock/Americano or a Kimura, but he was not going for it , , , yet? OTOH, I have seen FS in a backroom roll with some of Rigan Machado students and Rigan himself several years ago as was very impressed with his movement and the tremendous mental fluidity of structure transitions, so may RG felt that although he had "good" position that maybe he was not able to claim the position''s theoretical advantage?

When they came, what caught my attention about the DQing knees was the very fact that they came. The very fact that they occurred from under one of the better side controls to found in this world is actually quite remarkable. Since the rules said back of the head/neck was off limits, then those were the rules and, given the prior warning for stikes to the back of the head, then Referee Herb Dean's call seems appropriate.

Still, especially in the context of the "Shamrock Family vs. the Gracie Family" marketing angle played by the promoters, it was interesting to note that it was Cesar Gracie, who recently lost very badly to FS in an oddly matched fight, speaking for Renzo after the fight and to hear that Renzo's brother Ralph was there too. There was a fight many years ago (10? 12?) when either Renzo or Ralph stepped on a submitted opponent's head after a fight and the other one spit on a defeated opponent. In both cases they immediately acknowledged that in the American context these things were simply not right, apologized and vowed it would never happen again-- which it didn't (Tangent: Tito Ortiz did the step-on-the-defeated-opponent's-head thing in his first UFC fight. BJ McCarthy slammed him up against the fence and put him in his place). At any rate, 10-12 years ago who would have thought that Cesar would be speaking on Renzo's behalf for the enforcement of rules-- or else it would be just some sort of "barfight"?

As to assessing RG's post-knees behavior, I could be wrong (not for the first or last time) but somehow something there did not ring true for me , , ,

Anyone know if Showtime will replay? If they do I think Ill subscribe. I for one would like to watch the fight.

Any other good fights on the card?

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

I was over at www.mmaontap.com and read that Kurt Angle might be throwing down in the ring / octogon sometime this year.. his contract with TNA allows him to fight in MMA BUT only if they (TNA) find it "good" for him.

« Last Edit: February 16, 2007, 05:38:17 PM by Robertlk808 »

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

"A good stickgrappler has good stick skills, good grappling, and good stickgrappling and can keep track of all three simultaneously. This is a good trick and can be quite effective." - Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny